How is MSRP defined?

[bascom]

Is the MSRP of a camera listed here its original price when it was first released, or the current price from the manufacturer? For example. the Canon S5 was originally $499 when it came out last Summer. In Fall they lowered it to $399 and that's the price on the Canon site now:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=15207

$399 is now the MSRP for the S5 in the database here. However, I always thought the MSRP here referred to the original price. For example, it still says $499 for Canon S2 and S3 even though Canon did the same thing with lowering their prices to $399 after they were out a few months.

[Jeff Keller]

Is the MSRP of a camera listed here its original price when it was first released, or the current price from the manufacturer? For example. the Canon S5 was originally $499 when it came out last Summer. In Fall they lowered it to $399 and that's the price on the Canon site now:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=15207

$399 is now the MSRP for the S5 in the database here. However, I always thought the MSRP here referred to the original price. For example, it still says $499 for Canon S2 and S3 even though Canon did the same thing with lowering their prices to $399 after they were out a few months.

The MSRP is supposed to be the current one. Obviously I don't keep them up very well (at all), but when I update a record, I sometimes update the price. While inputting LCD resolutions and such, I have been updating the prices too.

[bascom]

I don't see the benefit of updating the MSRP to current prices. Average Retail Price pretty much gives that info already. Also, if you only update the MSRP for some cameras then it's inconsistent. When we look at camera specs we won't know what value MSRP truly represents, the original or current price. That is, we don't know if you updated it or not.

To me it would be better if you left the MSRP alone on all cameras so that it is the original MSRP when the camera came out. Then it's consistent and we all know what it means. Plus it would reduce work for you. I would think all the info for a camera's specs should be static and not change, except for the Average Price which changes automatically with Price Grabber.

[erichlund]

But the term does not say, OMP (original manufacturer's price). It is MSRP, which stands for Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Manufacturer's change their prices, just like retailers, based on supply and demand.

[Beowulff]

I agree completely with this thinking:


To me it would be better if you left the MSRP alone on all cameras so that it is the original MSRP when the camera came out. Then it's consistent and we all know what it means. Plus it would reduce work for you.

The other thing to bear in mind is that most readers will independently check the current street price of the camera anyway, assuming that they're pretty interested in it — and may well be considering buying it.

Incidentally, for our non-American members (like me!), the prices in US dollars are immaterial anyway, as the exchange rate is not the only variable in determining the camera's price in our locale.

Cheers :)